A Whitefish man accused of leveling a rifle at a worker at a Blanchard Lake Drive job site in 2023 received a pair of suspended jail sentences last fall.

Charles James How, 37, initially pleaded not guilty to a felony count of assault with a weapon in Flathead County District Court following the Dec. 4, 2023, confrontation. In October 2024, though, he struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to misdemeanor counts of assault and obstructing a peace officer.

As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend How serve two suspended six-month jail sentences.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht, who oversaw the case, handed down the pair of suspended sentences on Oct. 2, 2024. The two sentences were to run consecutively.  

Ulbricht also gave him credit for three days of time served for each sentence and ordered him to pay a combined $360 in court fines and fees.  

How allegedly exited a home neighboring the job site in December 2023 and began yelling at a worker while stripping off his clothes, court documents said. After making an obscene gesture at the worker and hopping into a Toyota FJ Cruiser, How allegedly stuck a rifle out of the driver's side window. He drove off shortly thereafter, according to court documents.  

Responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies were developing a plan of action down the street from where the incident occurred when they spotted a matching vehicle come to a stop nearby. A shirtless man allegedly popped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, court documents said.  

Investigators found a large knife and a rifle in the front passenger area of the freshly abandoned vehicle, according to court documents.  

How later allegedly told investigators that he began stripping down when he spotted a man looking at him. Though he admitted to hefting the rifle, he said he never aimed it at another person, according to court documents. He acknowledged that the rifle was loaded, court documents said. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].